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Kistler Chardonnay Blind Tasting
Chicago IL
Tasted August 4, 2005 by Burgundy Al with 418 views
Introduction
I recently met somebody at a Burgundy dinner who coordinates a group that does weekly focused tastings across a breadth of themes. This was the first I attended - a cross-section of Kistler Chardonnay from 1994-2002. Tasting was a good learning experience, even if the room was too hot for tasting these wines.
Flight 1 (11 notes)
White
1994 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard
92 points
Blind Kistler Chardonnay tasting. Smoky and toasty nose with lots of rich, ripe fruit. Smells of peach and apple (perhaps caramelized apple). Rich buttery flavors that are clearly in an extreme style but the heft and density of this wine's fruit keep this wine powerful and solid. Not the bottle I would pull to showcase Chardonnay's charms, but a fun and well-made wine. My WOTN, near the bottom for this group.
White
1995 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard
90 points
Blind Kistler Chardonnay tasting. Smells and flavors of pears and peaches. Still a bit of oak on nose. Good balance, showing some of the brightest acidity of all wines tonight. Bit of heat on finish, but I think the structure will keep this drinking well for several more years. My 3rd favorite tonight, group WOTN.
White
1995 Kistler Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard
90 points
Blind Kistler Chardonnay tasting. Clearly showing some age on nose and palate, probably a year or two past its prime, but this wine had more charm and balance than almost all the younger wines tonight. Caramelized fruit on nose with hints of butterscotch. then ripe and rich peach and apricot on palate. I liked this relatively much better than the group did, but the group generally liked these wines much better than I did.
White
2000 Kistler Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard
89 points
Single blind Kistler tasting. Good balance of fruit to start - lemon, apple, peach - but oak dominates nose today. Good lemon and lemon zest flavors in middle. give this a little more time for oak to integrate, I hope 2008 or so.
White
1999 Kistler Chardonnay McCrea Vineyard
91 points
Blind Kistler Chardonnay tasting. One of the more floral wines tonight, however also traces of obtrusive oak remains. Some peach as well as apple and pear smells and flaovrs, also showing good acidity which helps give lift at finish and mask the alcohol a bit. Drinking well, I wouldn't hold any longer.
White
2000 Kistler Chardonnay McCrea Vineyard
87 points
Blind Kistler chardonnay tasting. Oak dominated the nose, with some interesting sweet baking spice. Rich buttery flavors and textures, showing mostly peach. A good amount of acidity brings this close to balance, but the heat on finish gives this a bitterness I didn't greatly enjoy tonight.
White
2001 Kistler Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard
86 points
Blind Kistler chardonnay tasting. Smoky oak-driven nose. Simple flavors of apple and pear, not much else going on here. Heat on finish. Group liked this much better than I did.
White
2002 Kistler Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard
89 points
Blind Kistler Chardonnay tasting. Some lemon peel on nose but not much else other than oak. Better on palate with lots of rich buttery fruit, good acidity and a strong backbone. Room for improvement with a few more years. Again, heat on finish.
White
2000 Kistler Chardonnay Durell Vineyard
85 points
Blind Kistler Chardonnay tasting. Entirely oak driven - nose, palate, finish. Good quality fruit but completely overshadowed by oak and alcohol. Group liked this much better (3rd place tonight) than I did.
White
1999 Kistler Chardonnay Durell Vineyard
79 points
Blind Kistler Chardonnay tasting. I think this might be heat damaged or oxidized in some way, but others didn't agree. Nutty and smoky elements came through, what little fresh fruit I saw seemed quite faded.
White
1998 Louis Latour Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot
87 points
Blind Kistler Chardonnay tasting - this was a "ringer." This was a good "ringer" entry in that it showed some of the same attributes as Kistler Chardonnay - lots of oak, ripe almost tropical fruit, and heat. Tasted blind, I thought it fit in perfectly with the Kistlers.
Closing
Although I liked some of these wines a good deal, my major takeaway is that I should cut back on my annual Kistler purchases.